Okay, so, on Saturday I went and saw the sequel to the best of Marvel's Phase One films(well, at least, in my opinion), titled "Thor: The Dark World." I was, unsurprisingly, one of the few fans who loved the first Thor movie. It wasn't perfect(but what movie is?), but it had relatable characters, I LOVED the family dynamic, and Thor's character growth was beautifully done. And I thought it was higher quality than the other phase 1 films(just my opinion, again). After the amazing "The Avengers", I was definitely looking forward to seeing this movie, especially considering that Thor is my favorite Avenger.
Did the movie disappoint? Was it what I was hoping for?
It didn't disappoint but it was different from what I was thinking it would be. The movie was definitely awesome, and I loved watching it, but, like all films, there were parts I wish had been embellished a tad more(which happens with most movies, so it's all good).
Before I go into a spoilerly discussion about this movie, I'm going to give a brief, spoiler-free, opinion of the film(so if you haven't had the chance to watch it yet, don't read beyond the parts saying SPOILERS).
I have to admit, the film wasn't what I was expecting, but that's all right, since the same went for Iron Man 3, which I also loved. If you are a Marvel fan(and if you are a fan of Thor/Chris Hemsworth or Loki/Tom Hiddleston), then I would definitely recommend you go and see it.
The acting is as wonderful as usual- Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston especially stuck out for me. Thor's evolution throughout this film and the last two have been very nicely done and I think his character is at a good place at the end of this movie. And as a Thor fan, that was very satisfying. As for Loki- WOW. I LOVED his character in this film- easily Tom Hiddleston's best performance of the trickster god to date. This Loki is a bit different, a bit more evolved, than the ones we see in the last two(in fact, he's almost a mixture of the two) and, really, I adored this new version of Loki. If you are a fan of his character, I'm sure you will too. Natalie Portman does a good, solid job as always with Jane, Rene Russo made me love Frigga in this film, Anthony Hopkins is as good as always, and the rest of the cast fills their roles very well.
The plot could have been a tad bit deeper, things could have been explained a bit more thoroughly, and the film could have been longer(I wanted more Thor/Loki interactions!!), I think the creators, cast, and crew all did a stunning job with what they were given and I look forward to seeing how everything goes from here....especially with that ending ;).
P.S. - Make sure you stay after both sets of credits.
SPOILERS!!!!
Spoilers
Spoilers
First off, I TOTALLY SAW THAT TWIST COOOOMIIING!!! XD
I guessed Loki hadn't actually died pretty quickly- first of all, his death was way too quick. When a movie wants to make a moving death scene, they typically draw it out a bit. Also, there was the little magic tricks that Loki knows how to do, so it seemed weird he wouldn't be more cautious. When I saw the soldier guy leave the Dark World and go to Asgard to speak to Odin(we'd seen him do a similar disguise earlier on), I was thinking "Hey, I bet that's Loki." And when the man made that smile I went "YES, yes, that's DEFINITELY Loki." After that, I just kept waiting to see Loki appear and not actually be dead(which kind of distracted me during the film, lol), and the end, of course, had me going "mwhahahahahaha!" to myself. Loved that ending. One of the best parts of the film, I'd have to say! XD Now, I wonder what happened to Odin......O_O
Putting the silliness aside, this film, while not what I was expecting it to be(plot wise), was still awesome all the same! :D I don't know whether I prefer this film or the first one, but both were good and it was lovely seeing my favorite Avenger and his younger brother(another favorite) again.
The plot wasn't as strong as the one in the first one, nor was it as serious as I was hoping it would be(though the humor was hilarious! XD), but it was interesting enough that it held my attention(my one complaint was that it wasn't explained as much as it should have been and a couple of the Dark Elves's motives were a bit unclear). In fact, like I've seen from what other reviewers, the plot was probably the weakest part of the plot, and I'm inclined to agree- I really wanted to know more about the Dark Elves and their mythology! And I was hoping for a bit of a darker feel(but that's just me and my obsession with sad stuff...yeah, I'm a weird one). Though, I WANT THOSE DARK ELVES'S SHIPS!!!!!! Like NOW! XD
However, for what it lacks in depth of plot, it makes up for with amazing performances and laugh-out-loud moments(Loki turning into Captain America, the whole flying ship scene, Thor hanging his hammer on that little rack by the door, etc). And I have to say, Loki was the funniest of them all; seeing his reading a book in his cell while a battle is raging was quite funny :D.
The characters are really what carry this film. Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston bring their A-game to this film and it really shows. Thor and Loki's interactions in this film were the definite high-light for me and I found myself wanting more(and less of the romance sub-plot). Their dynamic was just as good as it was in the last two films and whenever the film moved away from these characters, I became impatient, wanting to see more of them. Thor really has changed a lot from that brash(yet lovable) prince in the first film- he is a lot more pensive, introspective, and sad, which was an interesting contrast; his journey has been thorough, which I enjoyed quite a lot, since it is a good, solid case of character development. I was also SOOO thankful that they didn't put in an annoying love triangle or everything. Sif obviously was interested in Thor, and he knew it, but he stayed true to Jane and handled rejecting his friend in a very good way- this was very nice to see since, all too often, guys in fiction don't push away or discourage a person whose interested in them when they already love/are in a relationship with someone else; as a Thor fan, that was really nice to see(honorable guys! YAY!). And it's also nice to not have a love triangle, those things are pretty despicable(unless, somehow, done right). The only problem I had with him was that Thor didn't seem all that upset over his brother 'dying' but I guess he was just hiding it or something...
Loki....Loki...really, you almost stole the show. I really wish we could have seen more of you....
Tom Hiddleston gives his most stunning(best) performance yet as Loki; unlike the calm/turned crazy brother from the first film, and the homicidal maniac of the second, this Loki was a nice chance of pace and interesting as well, since he's almost a combination of the previous two with a little something added. You really feel for him and I, for one, enjoyed seeing his good side in this installment. He really did love his mother and his grief over her death was very palpable and realistic; it was really sad that the(most likely) last thing he said to her was that she wasn't his mother(which he knew wasn't true); I was happy that she said what she said to him, though- I'm hoping it helped(I felt very bad for him when we see that he trashed his room like that). I'm so glad they decided to include that relationship, and I wished we could have seen more of it. I also do feel he still cared about Thor, to a degree. He does help Thor several times throughout the film, which I feel indicated that- my personal favorite of these being when he made it look like he'd betrayed Thor and Jane(and used his magic to make it look like he'd cut his brother's hand off)- that part was really, really cool and the use of magic was so genius! I really want to see more of this side of Loki! My favorite Loki moment, however, was when he saved Jane from being sucked into those very creepy bomb-sucking-into-oblivion things- it appeared genuine to me and, if that was actually him and not his 'fake' self, it was also a very selfless act(since he nearly got sucked into it himself before Thor rescued him). That whole battle/scenario thing was my favorite part of the entire film. As I said before, I thought the ending was perfection(with Loki actually on the throne >:D) and I can't wait to see where this leads us...
Before I go on, I should say, Tom looked really nice in this film- the hair and clothing suited him; I hope we see more of this look in the future.
After seeing this film, I have to say, I LOVE Frigga! For one, she was such a badass and would have beaten Malekith if that other stupid guy hadn't come in behind her and grabbed her :P. Darn you, stupid guy! Plus, she was very brave, and a good mother, and probably my favorite female character in the film. Her funeral scene(along with everyone else who perished) was so beautiful and viking-like and truly a masterpiece of special effects.
As a Natalie Portman fan, it was nice to see her in action once again. I think I liked Jane in this film more than in the first. Marvel has been very good about making their female characters actually not appear weak to the audience which I think it a definite step up from the way it was done, say, ten years ago. Even though Jane isn't a trained fighter, she's very intelligent and she actually did a lot for the plot by using her knowledge(with her fellow scientists help) to solve the problems. Also, it was pretty funny seeing her slap both Thor and Loki! XD
Everyone else was all right too- I liked seeing Heimdal(spelling?) again and his whole 'taking down a ship' was just so epic! I'll have to keep an eye on his actor. I was surprised at how little Sif and the Warriors 3 were in it, since it seemed, from the trailer that they would have a larger role. But I'm okay with that, since it would have taken away from what I was interested in the most.
All in all, it was a great film and I would recommend it to all Marvel fans(I mean, go just for the ending...that was pure gold). I hope you enjoyed the review and have a good night :D.
